Hijacking of FEDEX 705

FEDERAL EXPRESS McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD11 N602FE (MSN 48402)

On the 7th of April 1994, Federal Express Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo aircraft, was involved in a hijacking attempt by Auburn R. Calloway, a Federal Express employee. Facing potential dismissal for falsifying his flight hours, he boarded the flight from Memphis, Tennessee (MEM/KMEM) to San Jose, California (SJC/KSJC) with a guitar case hiding hammers and a speargun.

He attempted to disable the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) before takeoff and, once in the air, tried to murder the crew with hammers to stage the incident as an accident. However, the CVR was reactivated by the flight engineer who thought he had forgotten to turn it on.

Calloway's plan was to crash the plane, making it seem like an accident, so his family could claim a $2.5 million life insurance policy from Federal Express. His attempt to incapacitate the crew failed; despite their severe injuries, they overpowered him and safely landed the plane.

At his trial, prosecutors contended that Calloway aimed to commit suicide. His defense claimed insanity, but he was convicted on multiple counts, including attempted murder and aircraft piracy, and received two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Calloway managed to overturn the interference conviction on appeal, as it was considered a lesser included offense of the piracy charge, but his life sentence remained intact.

The Flight 705 crew endured the assault but sustained serious injuries. First Officer Tucker's skull was gravely fractured on the left side, impairing motor function in his right arm and leg. Additionally, Tucker's jaw was dislocated by Calloway, who also tried to gouge out one of his eyes and stabbed his right arm. Captain Sanders received multiple deep lacerations on his head, necessitating surgical reattachment of his right ear. Flight Engineer Peterson suffered a fractured skull and a cut temporal artery. 

The aircraft sustained damages amounting to $800,000.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Federal Express

Code: FX/FDX

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F

Registration: N306FE

Serial Number: 48287

Engines: 3 x CF6-6K

First Flew: 28th November 1985

Age: 38.5 Years